Return the Souls

Ainsley Redmont

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Post subject: Return the Souls

Though the snow was coming down in thick sheets, Ainsley could spot the Temple of Winter just ahead. The fields in which Elysia's Temple lied were covered with at least two feet of snow. Despite it being summer, this area was always bitten by frigid winds and frost. The horses that Ainsley and Odin rode, taken from The Grand Stables, swayed their tails anxiously and stamped their feet trying to keep warm as their riders paused to gaze at the building ahead.

Ainsley lifted a hand and pointed out towards the Temple behind the curtain of snow. "This is it," Ainsley said, trying to make sure her voice was heard above the swirling winds. "You must go first."

The two had no idea of the recent happenings in the city. After they had left, Lumine had been defeated thanks to a great handful of people who finally were able to organize a mass attack against the Ravenholm tyrant. They had no clue that the final act to end the plague on Aleris' was for them to just return the soul to its rightful owner, the Goddess of Winter. Ainsley was only determined to get the soul back so that the people could revolt against Lumine - a task which she did not know wasn't really needed any longer.

The Redmont Witch nudged her heels into her horse's flanks, urging the animal forward through the snow. The horse shook its head and moved towards the temple. Ainsley kept a cautious eye on Odin. After all, he still had the soul within his hands and at any moment he could flee away with it again. It would be difficult to chase after him; her magic was still subdued because of Lumine's collar. During their short camping breaks along the way, she had not figured out a way to undo the sturdy ornament that adorned her neck.

Throughout her life, Ainsley had seen many people corrupted by the idea of power. Elijah Bluefield, her deceased husband from over a thousand years ago, had been among those ranks... and even she had been a victim to conquest once. However, she sincerely hoped that Odin would prove her wrong and not be the same power hungry person.

Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 2:09 pm

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Post subject: Re: Return the Souls

Post originally by Character_Odin Kirk

Everyone had done what they did in the war for something. Lumine, for power. Maxim, for family. Victor Sage, for love. And so on. But the question presented to him now was, 'why did I do what I did?' The answer wasn't coming to him that quickly. Why had Odin come to Aleris? To look for his sister originally. He'd been dead set on finding her, that was until he actually made it here. Then he got a bit distracted.

Eager to please, Odin found himself doing things that he knew his mother would frown on and his father...well lets just say it was a good thing Dravvin was dead. If he'd been alive to see what his youngest had done it'd probably be enough to kill him.

Don't be stupid. Father wasn't like that and you know it.

Odin didn't know it though. Odin didn't know Dravvin at all. The man had been dead the young Kirk's entire life and all he had to go on were stories.

Stories told to you by Mother, Cerri, Lysander, Isa, and even LilyRose and Draco. Are you saying that you don't trust your own family now?

Of course he wasn't saying that. it was rude to ask. It wasn't that he didn't trust his family, more that he didn't trust them to remember correctly. Of course they'd remember all the good things. But would they remember any of the bad? Usually that was what happened. Someone died and suddenly all the bad things he ever did were erased. As if they were never there to begin with. Hadn't Dravvin locked Isa and Lysander away for years and tortured them?

That wasn't Father and you know it. That was a version of him that hadn't been the kind man that mother remembered. Stop being such a prick and get on with what you came here to do.

He didn't know it. At least that was what he told himself. Shaking his head Odin tried to focus on the task at hand. He'd finally gotten to the temple with Ainsley. He kept looking at her the whole trip, while she wasn't looking. She was a remarkable woman. The elemental couldn't imagine going through the things she had just these last few months, and still want to do the right thing. With the soul she could rule Aleris. And honestly after what he'd done to her, if she asked, he'd probably give it to her.

There you go again with your preschooler bullshit. Stop day dreaming and get your ass into gear. Are you going to return the soul or not? Seriously, I'm supposed to be the one prone to flights of fancy and I'm stuck here playing your conscience. Damn you're pathetic.

"You're right." Odin muttered. He was looking off in the opposite direction now. Not at Ainsley or the temple, but focusing on something else. Then he turned, a new look on his face. He'd made up his mind. With a nod to his traveling companion, he stirred his horse and started towards the temple. What would come next wouldn't be pleasant, but it was what his father would want. It was what he wanted.

Power wasn't something he'd come here for, he already had power. What he'd done everything for was approval. But he'd done it for Lumine, and what he'd realized was that he needed it from himself.

Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 10:47 pm

Ainsley Redmont

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Post subject: Re: Return the Souls

Ainsley turned her head towards Odin as he urged her towards the temple. The moments where she waited for Odin to turn tail and run seemed to take forever. It was not as if she didn't trust him, but the Redmont Witch knew that the pull of the soul was a strong one indeed. Quite a few times she had felt its hold over her, even from a few feet away, tempting her to snatch it away from Odin. Did the thing know it was being returned to Elysia?

She wondered about the balance of Aleris as they dismounted from their horses at the temple. If one missing soul had caused this much damage (apparently Alerion had some other brothers that had died), she wondered what catastrophe the rest of them missing might cause. Would the soul sickness reach past Aleris and towards the Outer Gates? Could it seep into the Outlands and claim her home, even if her family had not been born of Alerian blood? She shook her head, snow falling off of her hair only to be replaced with more snow.

Over the years, she had discovered many different types of weaponry and spells which she locked away in her Sanctuary. The soul of Alerion's brother was just another bridge to domination as Lumine showed so well. Maybe she could just take it and lock it away in Sanctuary for herself as part of the collection... Ainsley looked up, her indigo eyes falling on Odin as he waited by the temple doors hesitant and went to join him. Taking the soul would be a foolish idea, she told herself. Most of her life had been plagued with the thought of conquest, to have the Redmont Brood take over whatever they could. Here she had a chance to do just that and the witch abandoned the notion. What was happening to her...?

Placing a hand on Odin's back, she pushed him gently towards the door. They both entered the temple, closing the door behind them and leaving the howling, banshee like winds behind. Despite the "frosted" appearance of the Elysia's temple, the inside felt quite warm and Ainsley reached up to slightly loosen the scarf around her neck that hid Lumine's collar. The thud of the door closing summoned the attention of a priestess who moved dutiful towards the travelers who lingered in the threshold.

"Elysia's Temple welcomes both of you," she said dipping into a bow. "How may I assist?"

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 10:59 am

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Post subject: Re: Return the Souls

Post originally by Character_Odin Kirk

"Elysia's Temple welcomes both of you. How may I assist?"

Odin fought back his first knee jerk response of "Yes, could you tell me where the lost and found department is? I think I've got something that belongs to you."

Instead he just nodded, and held up the soul. "I need to return this." The look of shock in the priestess' eyes would have been comical if Odin didn't remember all the thousands of people who died because he took the soul.

The priestess started to reach for it, "I'll take it straight to the Goddess..." she was saying. However the strange look in her eyes told Kirk that something wasn't right.

"No, that's fine. I'll take it to her. I need to pay for my sins as it is." When she didn't move, the elemental poked her shoulder, hard. "Now?" he asked when her eyes finally disengaged the orb and made contact with his.

She looked very embarrassed, however she nodded her head and said, "Of course. Right this way please." and without a look back, she turned quickly and headed down the hall.

Odin looked to Ainsley to see if she noticed the strange reaction as well. "I hope that she's here. I'm not sure we could stay if she wasn't. They way that priestess was looking at the soul, I thought she was going to rip it from my hands and steal it for herself." He of course, was completely unaware of that thoughts that Ainsley had had mere moments before or how similar they were to the young priestess'.

Turning he followed the girl to the alter of the Goddess of Winter (and Death, he reminded himself). Looking as meek as he could, and honestly feeling it as well, the youngest Kirk knelled before the alter of Death and Winter with the soul reached out before him.

"Goddess Winter," he started, unsure of what he was actually going to say. Inhaling to buy himself a minute to think, Odin paused. What did one say to a God whose temple they'd spurned? "I'm Sorry." And then the tears started flowing.

Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 9:34 pm

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Post subject: Re: Return the Souls

The clicking heels of the temple priestess faded away from Ainsley and Odin and were shortly replaced by the presence of Elysia, Aleris' Goddess of Winter. It was not her natural reaction to smite anyone, but seeing the Lost Soul unfolded before her in Odin's cupped hands, she had to decide what to make of the whole situation. How easily it had been stolen, and how easily it had been returned - as if this were just some sort of game to make the Alerian deities' heads spin. Not knowing truly how to react or feel, especially once the tears started escaping from the corner of Odin's eyes, she kept a straight and rather unimpressed face tilted down towards the kneeling young Kirk.

"I am not so sure that myself, let alone the realm of Aleris, is ready to accept your apologies, Odin," Elysia said reaching out towards him. Instead of striking out at what the lost, little boy in front of her, she took the glowing orb of a soul rather gently and clutched it close to her chest. "Do you kneel here crying before me, because you are selfishly distressed over your own theft or because you indeed realize that you have single handedly helped send the lives of thousands to slaughter? Yes, you Odin, not Lumine Ravenholm - as much of a tyrant as he was."

Elysia closed her eyelids over pale blue irises. The soul that she had collected in her hands and seemed to be hugging suddenly vanished into thin air. There was no trace as to where the soul went or to who was keeping it. Odin would not find it in the place it was previously at for Elysia had taken great caution to move all of her souls that she kept as the Lady of Death, even the tiniest and dimmest of souls that belonged to newborn children. Every one of them had been repositioned, which was a daunting task but something that needed to be done.

"Tears are reserved for two types of people: those who are mourners and those who are overcome with great joy," Elysia said and shook her head almost sadly. "They are not for the thieves and murderers of the world. I hope you understand this, Odin Kirk."

Despite the atmosphere in the temple, once the soul had been grasped in Elysia's palms, the life around her started to awaken. In cities across Aleris, people began to remember who they were and what they were doing, turning their heads upwards to the sky as if they had just found something. Like flowers rising from bloom, life was renewed in faces that were once aimlessly wandering streets. People began to view their land and realized that something had happened - a war? - and that they must first find their loved ones and second restore the realm that was ravaged.

Elysia turned to look at the stained glass windows that decorated her temple and breathed a sigh of relief. She could feel outside the earth itself had moved and that things were slowly starting to shuffle back into place. However, what of the Kirk boy? Elysia moved a step closer towards Odin.

"For most people, I would have sent them into exile for this, quite quickly I might add," Elysia started, "but I find myself wondering... here you are - a young man who is obviously not one for the throes of power - new to Aleris. What would bring you to such a rash and stupid course of action?"

Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 4:01 pm

Ainsley Redmont

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Post subject: Re: Return the Souls

Despite her earlier thoughts, Ainsley had nodded her head softly to Odin's assumption; she agreed that the priestess in charge did look tempted by the soul they held. Ainsley knew the deep, mixed emotions that swirled beyond the priestess' eyes all to well, for she had also felt them only moments before. The Redmont Witch was glad when the priestess walked off to summon the Goddess of Winter and glad that Elysia had met them, but part of her was not glad when the soul was taken away and faded into oblivion.

Ainsley felt as if her child had been taken from her, something of her own flesh and blood, and wondered if the missing soul had an odd effect on others who were not even from Aleris. Nevertheless, a wave of relief washed over Ainsley as the soul was hung back in place, as if the whole world suddenly made sense and everything was right again. There was no telling where it went; the only thing that was for sure was that a great burden had been suddenly and almost magically lifted from the once cursed and sick realm of Aleris. The people were free of their soul sickness.

She snapped back into reality, shaking her head as her long, dark tresses fell from her shoulders. She realized, upon looking down at the floor, that Odin had been sobbing and she didn't know how to react. All of her life, both as alive and a ghost, she had been surrounded by those of strength and pride - those who were taught not to shed tears even in the gravest of situations. She never had a child, as she was not born with that ability (her womb was dead), so she never felt the affections of motherhood. And Elijah Bluefield had been so kind enough to sap any love out of her that she might have had and thousands of years later... she still could not forgive his treachery. Ainsley really did not know how to cope with Odin right now, as he knelt like a servant before Elysia's feet. But was it her duty to do anything at the moment? Odin had chosen his fate and any punishment carried out by the Goddess of Winter was probably deserved.

She let Elysia speak and listened attentively as if the crime was her own. After the soul was given back and most had been said and done, Ainsley gathered that Elysia was strangely not going to exile or punish Odin. At least not yet... In fact, Elysia seemed slightly interested in what sparked Odin's mission to steal the soul in the first place, a journey which Ainsley truthfully knew little about. After all, while a prisoner at Aleris' castle, she had been too busy trying to pleasure Lumine so she could lessen his guard and make her escape, a thought which made her absently shudder.

Ainsley found herself crouching down next to Odin and placing a hand on each of his sides. "Do not cry before the Goddess," Ainsley whispered leaning towards his ear. "She deserves the truth and not while you are lying on the ground. Show her that you seek forgiveness, but that you are not fearful." Then, the Witch gently urged him upwards so that he was standing on his feet and could deliver his story to Elysia properly.

Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 12:56 pm

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Post subject: Re: Return the Souls

Post originally by Character_Odin Kirk

He wasn't sure what he had expected to happen. He was almost certain that he'd expected great physical pain, if not out right death. He had, after all, stolen from the Goddess of Death. What he hadn't expected was for her to be curious about him. Not that there wasn't anger in her voice, cause there was plenty. She asked him why he killed thousands? When she asked him that way, it made him realize how stupid he'd been.

The touch of Ainsley's hand on his shoulder surprised him. With the appearance of the Goddess, he'd almost forgotten she was there. Her words brought a quick flush to his cheeks. She was right of course. He needed to face this as a man, not a sniveling worm. He wasn't here for forgiveness. He was there to put things right.

"Lady Goddess, I didn't want anyone to die." This was going to be tougher than he thought. It sounded lame even to him at first. "I came to this land looking for my sister, to hopefully return her home. What I found was someone I'd thought was a person to look up to. Someone to believe in. I wanted to believe in him so badly that I ignored all the evil I saw in the name of 'progress'. I stole the soul to impress Lumine, and because he said he could use it to bring my father back. I guess I was looking to impress him as well."

Odin hadn't understood how good it'd feel to just tell his story. Unfortunately he wasn't the hero of his own chronicle. He'd been the easily misled kid who gets in more trouble cause he hadn't used his head or listened to his mother when she told him something was dangerous. The title of "hero" went to Ainsley. The things she'd allowed Lumine to do to her were unspeakable. The fact that she'd put herself through all of it to save the kingdom was amazing. She would have his deepest respect and admiration for the rest of his life. However long that may be.

"I didn't know the effects stealing the soul would have. I didn't even know the history of Aleris until after Ainsley was captured. I read about it all, the King's brothers, and his sacrifice. I was too busy trying to impress Lumine and make a name for myself in Aleris' future, that I ignored the past and it's lessons all together."

Closing his eyes, Odin inhaled. When he opened them again, there was a determination in them that had never been there before. In telling his tale, he'd come to comprehend that he had in fact made a name for himself. He was Odin, Thief and Killer Of Thousands. He'd grown up in the few minutes he'd been in the temple. No that wasn't true, he'd been growing up this whole time. It was only here that he came to terms with that. He was no longer Odin Kirk, Youngest of Dravvin's Children. He was Odin Kirk, Maker of His Own Destiny. He was ready to receive his punishment.

"M'Lady, I was foolish. I stole from you, and in doing so, killed far too many innocent people. Nothing I can do will ever bring them back, nor will it ever be enough. I'll never be able to make fathers return to their children and wives. I don't know the extent of punishment required for my sins, but I gladly accept it."

Here he paused, as if remembering something important. "If I may be so bold, what I've done has caused pain and sorrow through all of Aleris. I never met my father, but from everything I've been told, he brought light to a lot of people's lives. If he were brought here perhaps he could help fix what I ruined. Please don't think I'm asking a favor after my horrible deeds, I'm not. I'm simply seeking a way to help correct my mistakes."

With that, Odin bowed his head and waited his judgment.

Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2010 9:36 pm

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Post subject: Re: Return the Souls

(Note: This is a conclusion for this storyline as agreed on by all characters involved.)

Life, and Death, often works in mysterious ways and Odin's "judgment" from Elysia could fall under this category. Despite all the havoc he had caused, Elysia set forth to resurrect the fallen father of Odin, Dravvin Kirk. She believed that he would do better with his father around, that he could properly grow up and learn, and that Odin might no longer seek any father figures, such as Lumine, in Dravvin's shadow. Elysia believed she also owed it to the others of Reino Del Hielo to bring their leader back, as some of them had helped assist in reclaiming the Realm of Aleris during the war.

There was a small condition, in that Dravvin would have to check back with Elysia every now and then for quite a few reasons:

1. Dravvin could keep a close watch over his own son and make sure that Odin did not get swept onto anymore paths that might cause the destruction of thousands of people.

2. Odin had told her Dravvin was an Ice Elemental and Elysia had not met an Elemental in a long while. She was intrigued to say the least to meet one again and Dravvin's magical alliance to her would be a sure way that her temple might stay even more secure.

It seemed simple enough but to wrap the whole package up, they needed to visit Elysia's sister Goddess. Together, Elysia, Odin and Ainsley travelled to meet Aurora, the Deity of Spring which governed Life. In order for any soul to be resurrected, Elysia and Aurora must first form a pact on the matter. Aurora humbly agreed to grant her sister's wish and as such, the father of Odin Kirk and keeper of Reino Del Hielo was brought back to life.

Nevertheless, all was not wrapped up with happy endings. Even though Dravvin had been resurrected, people could not forgive Odin's actions as quickly as Elysia had. In fact, many of denizens of Aleris scorned him if he showed his face in public and did not welcome him. He had, after all, helped Lumine in killing many of their families and loved ones. The others of Reino Del Hielo who travelled between the Outer Gates were not met with such hostility, but Odin was shown judgment through the people rather than through Elysia's hand.

Ainsley was also met with a bitter reconciliation. The Redmont Witch had asked Elysia if she could remove the magical collar from around her neck. Elysia simply told her, "No." The Goddess of Winter did not say whether she was actually able to or not, just that she wouldn't do it. Elysia's motives were hazy and Ainsley did not understand how she could grant Odin such a pardon and resurrect his father, but not remove Lumine's damned collar from her neck. Furious, and feeling as if the whole quest had been an utter disappointment, Ainsley bid farewell to Odin (not even bothering to introduce herself to Dravvin) and left the Temple of Spring. The Witch's destination might have been to head back to The Outlands, but it was quite unclear where she was going without her powers and if she would be safe.

The only thing that was clear anymore was that Odin had his father back... finally.

Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 4:36 pm

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